Road Trip: Germany, Austria, Switzerland & France... Which route is best?
 

After spending 5 days in the Bavarian Alps (later this month – July 2008), we will be traveling by car from Mittenwald, Germany to Orschwihr, France (approx. 30 minutes below Colmar, France) to meet up with relatives who reside there. We have an approximate 5 hour road trip mapped out (based on modern highways that allow quick and easy access because we will not be stopping often for sightseeing, meals or gasoline on this leg of our trip). It’s not that we’ll be rushed, but we’d like to save these parts of Europe for a future visit. So, using 2007-2008 guidebooks and maps, we came up with this plan: Leaving Mittenwald on the Am Brunnstein towards Austria. The Am Brunnstein leads to the Seefelder-Bundesstraße which leads us to the Inntal-Autobahn. This freeway will change names several times, but is mostly autobahns (from Germany to Austria to Switzerland). We’ll enter into Switzerland (passing by Sankt Gallen and Zurich) then stopping in Basel for refreshments and to stretch our legs (possibly having a meal because this will be our only experience in Switzerland this time around – any suggestions for lunch or dinner – perhaps a future post?). From Basel, we will continue on the highway (entering France) to Mulhouse. From Mulhouse it should be less than 30 km to Orschwihr.

We would like to hear feedback from experienced drivers or travelers familiar with these parts… Could you suggest a better driving route? A "better" route would include spending less time and less fuel driving from Mittenwald to Orschwihr, saving money on tollbooths, but still allow the opportunity to view beautiful scenery as we pass through. In America, sometimes the fastest, shortest route is also the ugliest and most boring. There may not be a route that meets these specific criteria, but we're hopeful. We seek your opinion because we are inexperienced with driving in these parts, and our current plan may not have any scenery at all. Hard to believe that could happen in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France, but we’re not sure!

If the need should arise, we will have GPS in our car to help with unplanned events (roadblocks or construction). We would like to stick to a 10 hour or less itinerary (leaving Mittenwald by 9 or 10 a.m. arriving in Orschwihr before 8 p.m.), so please do not suggest staying overnight in a town or village along the way. We do not want to break up our road trip into two days or take away from our time in Bavaria or Alsace. Fodor’s Travel Talk Forums are a great resource in the planning process, and we look forward to hearing your suggestions and/or recommendations!

Before leaving the Mittenwald area, try to venture into the Leutaschtal - it's lovely. You can reach the Inntal-Autobahn bypassing Seefeld.

You'll need a Vignette to drive on the Austrian and Swiss autobahns.

viamichelin.com is a good resource.
You can toggle the seach with the extended options "avoid toll roads" and "avoid vignettes".
When you then opt for the "recommended" route, viamichelin will suggest a very nice and scenic drive along the Northern edge of the German Alps, the north shore of Lake Constance, and through the Black Forest to Alsace.
It does take longer than the more comfortable route via motorways (almost) only, but you save quite a bit because you avoid both the Austrian and Swiss motorway toll.

Cowboy - funny you mention that route... (Thank you by the way - we appreciate the help!) Your suggestion was actually our first of many planned routes for this road trip. The most recent being my OP.

My mother is very fond of the Schwarzwald and has it on the top of her list. However, I changed our plans after taking 2 things into consideration: 1. It would take longer to travel through the Black Forest and we could easily put it off for another day as a "day trip" from our 3 day stretch in Strasbourg, France. And 2. We are required to visit relatives in Orschwihr and Colmar prior to landing in Strasbourg. Looking at the map, it made sense to drive southwest to Orschwihr as opposed to driving through the Black Forest and then south, only to turn around and head north again a day later.

I will compare toll charges/expense to the time difference. On the bright side, instead of eating a meal in Switzerland, we can stop near Lake Constance. I'm sure the views are absolutely breathtaking. Any suggestions?

You are right in assuming that the route I mentioned would be quite a trek due to the fact that you'd have to drive on winding 2-lane highways (almost) all the way.

If you plan to stick to the fast routing via motorways (which is a wise idea, IMO), but want to veer off a bit here and there to more scenic routes, I could think of the following options:

From Mittenwald to Inntal Autobahn use the alternative rte which TuckH mentioned through the Leutaschtal. Actually, it's not only a nice drive, but also a shortcut.

Driving along the A12/S16 (Inntal / Arlberg motorway) you can choose if you want to spend €8.50 for the Arlberg tunnel, or take the free mountain pass road.

More a detour but one spectacular mountain road is the Silvretta (toll) road (B 188 on your map) from A12/S16 near Landeck via Bielerhöhe back to S16 near Bludenz.

When deciding which way you want to take through Switzerland, the recommended route via St.Gallen, Winterthur, Zürich to Basel competes with a more Southern approach from Feldkirch/Austria via Liechtenstein to A13 in CH, South to A13/A3 interchange, west via A3 through "Heidiland" to Zürich.
I found that latter alternative more scenic, but you won't see Lake Constance then.

Cannot help with the travel, but we were just in Orschwihr in May and had a wonderful time. Great people and something like 26 wineries in this little town makes for lots of fun!

I just realized that I did not mention one detail - and it could change everything - We'll be traveling on a SATURDAY. What do you think?

Thanks TuckH for the recommendation. I will look into Leutaschtal today.

Cowboy1968 - I appreciate your detailed suggestions - all of which I'm taking into consideration! THANK YOU!!! In my previous travels I have yet to see Lake Constance, but having an alternate southern route peaked my curiousity. I didn't even contemplate going deeper into Austria (we were focusing on Salzburg and Ruette this time). Driving through "Heidiland" on the way to Zurich is a great suggestion - another area we had not traveled to before. I just peeked online quickly and will definitely be going back for more information later today. You're awesome!

kosciusko-Orschwihr is beautiful! Not as known to Americans as Colmar and neighboring villages that offer castles and churches, but still beautiful! We have family based there, so it's always a destination while traveling in Europe. Thanks for acknowledging!

We stumbled onto Orschwihr on the internet and stayed a week there as our base for Alsace and Western Germany. One of those hidden gems which I know we will go back to someday. If you like white wines, you will be in heaven!

Thanks again Cowboy - Your suggestion was great. We will definitely travel south to Maienfeld to see "Heidiland". We're looking forward to hiking. We can't wait to see the hamlets, chalets, pastures, mountains, meadows and flowers. It should be a great location for taking photographs. And if we happen to stumble upon Heidi memorabilia, so be it. Perhaps we'll find a post card and send it to the States to my sister Heidi. The date stamp on the postage will be a great gift to her from Europe.

We'll leave Mittenwald, travel by Leutaschtal (thanks Tuck & Cowboy) then onto Maienfeld. From there, we'll head northwest to Zurich, Basel and on into France. This route is just under 6 hours, not including sightseeing, meals and refueling the car. Had we went with the Schwarzwald route, it would have been 6-7 hrs. driving and longer for walking around the forest and dipping our feet in the lake. Overall, the extra hour of driving and a few hours for hiking is not bad at all. Had I not asked for your opinion, we'd be spending 5 hours on the Autobahn and missing out on a great opportunity.

And the best part is, once we've landed in Orschwihr, we can relax and enjoy a nice glass of riesling!

Thanks for your help!

If you are driving near Saint Gallen you really should stop. This is my favorite place in Switzerland. The Abbey and Cathedral are incredible. Go online and take a look. They are worth a visit. The town itself is also pretty cool, although crazy for getting around in a car. Makes for great stories when you get home though.